Posts By Frederick Jones II

“You will find peace not by trying to escape your problems, but by confronting them courageously. You will find peace not in denial, but in victory.” – J. Donald Walters

After participating in commencement, which was a historic moment for the class of 2013, I received a separation notice from a promising position in the financial industry because of an unwise decision. It was shocking at first; however, I admitted to my mistake and learned from it. Instead of worrying about not having a job, I took the opportunity to find peace within my soul and evaluate my passion and purpose in life. Read more

According to the Mother Nature Network, trees frame life, providing shade, oxygen, food, homes, heat, and of course, building materials. They also overlook our first kisses and marriage proposals (http://www.mnn.com). One of the most cited trees in the Bible is the olive tree, its fruit the heart and soul of Mediterranean cooking. The olive tree is a remarkable plant that has an enriched ancient usage in history. The Hebrew word for “olive tree” is es shemen, which literally means ‘tree of oil.” It is from a primitive root meaning, “to shine.” It means “richness, anointing, fat, and fruitful, oil, ointment, olive.” It is related to the word shemesh, “to be brilliant,” which is the Hebrew word for“sun,” that brightly shining orb in the sky (http://www.triumphpro.com). Read more

Seize the moment out of your graduation day to celebrate the accomplishment of your dream. Proactively engage in a purposeful conversation with your dream and let your imagination expand into a realm of quantum faith. This is a representation of complete confidence in the gifts, talents, and skills that the Creator has blessed you with through Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3). Celebrate the victory of your academic excellence, because you are a son, or daughter of the King who leads you triumphantly.

Imagine celebrating with your family and friends, and loved ones at Regent University’s commencement where there will be a victory song that plays in heavenly places on your behalf. You can rejoice, because you’ve established a foundation of education, an honor for even your children’s children to inherit. Read more

There were times along the education journey that the joy of graduation faded away;The completion of projects, quizzes, discussion posts, and deadlines seemed overwhelming;Filing for FAFSA returns was stressful because the returns were depressing;If tuition increased higher, anxiety and fear slowed down the motivation.One tries to seek council for external comfort for an internal meltdown.This pressure shakes one’s identity, casting down their crown of righteous glory,The feeling of voidance,Obliteration of an untold story.

– Frederick Jones

College students experience the rigor of academic work often amid a series of unexpected life events. Those events are overwhelming, and cause you to become angry, upset, and frustrated about the whole situation. You are dedicating your energy, time away from your family, friends, and loved ones to set aside between 14 and 18 hours a week to complete assignments in school, while a voice speaks in the back of your mind saying, “Is it worth it? Does the professor even care that I have a life outside of school?”

Online education has experienced dramatic expansion and growth. Institutions of higher learning continue to increase online course offerings in an effort to satisfy student demand. This exponential growth is possible at all educational levels with the advancement of internet technology, since learning can occur anytime, anywhere. While this promise is impressive, it is not without unintended negative consequences.

The article, “Feelings of Alienation and Community A
mong Higher Education Students in a Virtual Classroom,” by Alfred Rovai and Mervyn Wighting, identifies that some online students feel an absence of social support and/or social connection, inability to focus for an extensive amount of time, or may give up when encountered by failure. In addition, students who are not technologically prepared for online courses can experience a negative impact on their confidence to complete the degree program and may become frustrated when they require assistance beyond what an instructor or help desk can provide.

I was a traditional classroom student who commuted from work to school (and vice-versa), and I was stressed the majority of the time. Living in a major metropolitan city, I had to figure out different routes for traffic to make it to school on time because some professors counted students absent if they shut the door, and it was embarrassing because the whole class would stare at the students for being late. Therefore, when I enrolled in Regent University’s online program, it gave me the flexibility to create my own work and school schedule, and I knew when my assignments were due.

Regent University’s online support system–such as the writing lab, online community support and mentorship, adjunct professors, and professional staff–want you to succeed in your professional career and in your spiritual relationship with God and man. To be honest, my first year and a half was challenging as an online student because I realized that I was a horrible writer. . Regent University’s writing center assisted me with the tools to make writing enjoyable and fun.

If you are struggling to hold things together between family, work and school, and you feel overwhelmed and want to withdraw, take a moment to inhale and exhale deeply. Find peace within your soul and simply ask God the Father (Mat. 7:8; 21:22) to give you wisdom, knowledge, competence, strength, focus, and drive to succeed with Regent’s online learning program. Allow Him to guide you through the program so that you can graduate from a position of rest.

While you are navigating your journey at Regent University, it is vital that you discover your purpose in life. My friend, here are five questions to ask God as you complete your undergraduate or graduate program

1. Who am I? – Identity

2. Where am I from? –Source

3. Why am I here? – Purpose (define your passion)

4. What can I do? – Potential

5. Where am I going? – Destiny.

Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth president of the United States (1923-1929), declared, “The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them [the foundations of society] if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country” (http://boardofwisdom.com). People who see themselves as change agents can make a difference for the next generation. Until righteous people learn to occupy the seven spheres of influence by being the salt of the earth (Mt. 5:13), we, as a nation, will continue to allow the advancement of immorality (e.g., abortion & the like) through our so-called “conservative” Supreme Court.

As our nation continues to change and grow, you have the power through God-given gifts to be a leader who changes the world in your sphere of influence: family, education, religion, media government, arts and entertainment, or business. I believe that you have the confidence, the power, and the authority to make a difference in your community, business, home, and family by having an unshakable Biblical worldview of love, faith, and hope.

At Regent University, in my Organizational Innovator class, we have discussed the benefits of social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurs make a difference in the marketplace and community because they combine innovation, resources and opportunity to address critical social and environmental challenges. Social entrepreneurs focus on transforming systems and practices that are the root causes of poverty, environmental deterioration and the accompanying loss of human dignity. They are change agents that establish for-profit or not-for-profit organizations, and their primary objective is to create sustainable system change.

Regent Law’s Center for Global Justice interns, professors, and students create systems of social change by applying their faith (i.e., their confidence in God and His ability), courage, expertise and wisdom to make an impact in the fight against human trafficking, both domestically and internationally. Their initiatives influence corporate social responsibility by providing a service of transforming social and environmental conditions, increasing the standards of human self-esteem.

Regent undergraduates and graduates have the opportunity to collaborate with organizations that adopt a mission to create and sustain social value in their state and local communities. My wife is an upcoming social entrepreneur, whose purpose is to give people hope to live their dream life by creating practical and creative ways to achieve and release their God-given passion. Along the journey of completing her doctorate program in organizational leadership, she teaches a young CEO workshop to youth groups. Young people learn about domestic and global leadership to change their world and the world around them. Young people’s hearts become zealous to become entrepreneurs that create social change, and leaders living out their purpose.

In essence, social entrepreneurs fundamentally are changing the way society organizes itself to approach social problems. It requires a committed person with a vision and determination to persist even when they face tremendous opposition. The ability to bring about positive change to people and communities is not an easy project at first. People naturally resist change in any sector. However, the benefit that social entrepreneurs gain by creating social value is discovering a precious treasure within one’s heart that is worth more than gold.

So as a Regent student, you can think about ways to start a business or become a part of a business that is aligned with your purpose in life. Once you have prepared your heart with confidence, courage and commitment, create jobs that will make an impact and increase social awareness in our economy, our community and our nation.

As the season of summer is ending, most high school students are closing their senior albums to start a new chapter in their lives as a college student. While young adults mature, students rebuild their energy after a summer break to go through the process of quizzes and staying up late writing papers. For high school students entering their first year of college, the majority lose focus or create negative study habits, and is unaware of how to manage their stress. Stress can affect your studies, and cause loss of/increased appetite, sleeplessness, mental exhaustion, severe feelings of frustration and so on. Stress symptoms can also manifest in a student’s social and physical life.

When I first returned to college after a two-year hiatus, I suffered from a loss of appetite, which led to a loss of weight, feelings of defeat, anxiety, mental lapse. The mistake that I made as a young student was that I didn’t seek educational counseling. Regent University counselors are trained to help college students to manage their stress levels by providing tools that will give the student the ability to maintain control when situations, people, academic studies and events make excessive demands.

It is imperative to learn how to relax yourself: fill your mind with positive words of inspiration, positive music, meditation and breathing exercises. Enjoy the journey! Don’t overwhelm yourself with so many classes that will damage your grade point average (GPA). Start with a few classes to learn the system of Blackboard and other functions at Regent. Then handle each class with excellence and integrity. In your spare time, try to exercise by walking or jogging around campus or home with your iPod or with a friend, because exercise reduces stress and builds your immune system.

After graduating from high school, I had dreams of playing baseball for Florida State University and majoring in Sports Management. My dreams were shattered, as I was denied twice by my dream school because my SAT scores did not meet the freshman admission qualification, though I graduated with honors. Determined to make some use of my life, I attended a small community college in Cuthbert, Ga. However, I engaged with the wrong crowd and allowed the lies I believed and circumstances surrounding my father and high school baseball coach to discourage me. I spent the next few years aimlessly attempting college at several different schools while moving in with my mom to take care of her and my younger sister. Soon the pressures of life got to me and I left college, while looking to imitate the lives of men I admired, having no real vision or purpose of my own.

In my mid-20s, I made a decision to quit school because of the disappointments from false promises from my so-called “mentors,” lack of confidence and insecurities. Then the Holy Spirit interrupted my thoughts and said, “Finish school. Your education will be a networking tool to provide access to relationships that you will not acquire by your own way.”

Since Regent University gave me another opportunity to achieve academic excellence, the curriculum reshaped my focus and sense of purpose in my life. Several of my class projects challenged me to write about my personality and biblical worldview. By doing so, I was able to discover who I am, and what I need to do make a difference in the marketplace.

The pressures of life can weigh anyone down; sometimes circumstances in life are unbearable. The easiest thing to do is to quit, when it seems all odds of circumstance are against you. Keep your heart and mind on the prize – the reward – not on the present of unfinished work.